Shadows
by anime-catdragon
Summary: Don't want to let it lay me down this time.Drown my will to fly.Here in the darkness I know myself.Postbebop.Drifting in space, the Bebop crew meets an unusual bounty Senkah, who teaches the crew to see beyond the shadows to the truth that lies beyond
1. Dreaming Reality

Disclaimer: I do not own Cowboy Bebop cries and any characters henceforth belong to...well...those who own Bebop. Also, the lyrics in the summary are from a song called Lithium by Evanescence.

Thanks go out to Elenea Galad for reading this even though she's never seen Bebop, and most especially to Mizuu because...well 'sides from her being an amazing friend...and generally all out amazing anyways, she supported me with this story and took the time to read it. To you, my dear, I dedicate this story. Thanks guys! Means a lot! Also dedicated to all those fantastical Bebop authors out there like Cassandra and Sidewalk Serfer Girl and so many others for their own inspiring stories. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

_Blackness filled his mind. He couldn't move, so he just let himself fall into the nothingness that surrounded him. Was this what death felt like? Was this it then? Was he dead? He had thought there'd be more to it than this, not that he expected a white light or anything; he wasn't really the religious type and he never really believed in God-but still, this, this was just disappointing! Maybe this was hell then; he was cursed to spend the rest of eternity reflecting on his life, of all the blood he'd spilt just to gain a quick buck, of all the people he'd hurt…of Julia._

_Even in death he couldn't be with her and this infuriated him more than anything. He never believed there was a heaven, and he never expected he'd ever see her again. He thought he'd die and that would be the end of it, but being aware of his surroundings, being conscious in a matter of speaking, and knowing she wasn't with him, was enough to make him scream out his hatred for whatever it was that kept them apart, and he would have to, if he was able to move. Yeah, God or whatever "powers that be" had a fucked up sense of humor. _

* * *

It was over. Bodies lay strewn amongst the rubble that had once been the great building of the Red Dragons' Syndicate headquarters. Smoke curled its way up to the heavens from barely quenched fires and sirens sounded in the distance. Nothing stirred. There was no movement, no sign of life in the whole area, nothing except a lone figure standing amidst the shadows cast by the setting sun.

A young woman wearing nothing but black save for the silver bands that wrapped around her thighs like belt straps stood watching the scene before her. She was the embodiment of shadow: her raven hair darker than night itself, shimmering with a silvery white at the tips. Her grey-blue eyes shone with a dark amusement as she watched the events unfold, and if one watched closely, they would swear those steely eyes changed colors.

She watched as the man with the green hair made his way into the guarded building, listened to the distracting commotion going on within, and witnessed the green- haired man exit. She smirked, ever-changing eyes gleaming with a rare amusement as she witnessed what appeared to be the man's last words.

He had limped down the many steps towards what remained of the Syndicate men, hands clasped tightly over a heavily bleeding wound to his abdomen, and she watched as he removed one hand and formed it in the shape of a gun. His words were merely a statement carried to her ears by the wind.

"Bang." Was all he said before falling to the ground to join the other bodies. She found herself wondering what kind of man he was. To have created such chaos only to come out of it with a dark humor she'd rarely experienced intrigued her. He seemed an interesting character, but that single word seemed to have been his last. _Pity_ she thought, _it might have been interesting to have met him._ The sirens came closer by the minute, and finally she was able to tear her eyes away from the bloody scene before her. It seemed she wouldn't be paid tonight, and she turned away, silently cursing her luck and this unlucky string of events before disappearing into the darkness she seemed to be born of.

* * *

Her body shook from the effort of holding back her sobs. She wasn't sure when it happened, but somehow she'd found herself in her room. Now she lay on her bed, tears wetting her pillow as they spilled from her eyes.

She could already feel the loss. The damned lunkhead had gone and thrown his life away, she was sure of it. All that shit that had spilt from his mouth like a waterfall about not going there to die but to find out if he was really alive was nothing but bullshit. Poetic- surprising considering the person whose mouth spoke the words- but bullshit nonetheless. She had choked back the sobs that were already wreaking havoc on her body with the effort to hold them back, to keep them contained.

She was suppose to be indifferent, she wasn't suppose to care if he stayed or went off to die; it was how she acted, how she always acted and she'd be damned if she broke now, but she could feel the mask she wore so carefully cracking. As his steps took him further and further away from her and closer to an unknown darkness that she swore was going to swallow him up, she found herself caring, actually _caring_ that he might not be coming back this time. And damned be the Gods it hurt like hell. With this new fear stabbing at her painfully, she watched as her already cracked mask fell to the floor, crashing like glass until it was only a pile of porcelain shards sharp enough to cut, and he used them as a weapon against her with each step he took, sending shard after shard into her already breaking heart.

She wasn't quite sure what he had become; A friend? A brother? She hadn't had much experience with either to really differentiate, none that she could remember anyways. She wanted to explore this new feeling, this sensation of camaraderie that suddenly seemed different than what it was before, but he had to go off and get himself killed before she could figure it out. Damn him! She hoped he was burning in hell for all the pain he was causing her, for all the pain he'd ever caused her.

It was like it was all a fucking game to him, something he did for fun whenever he was bored as he sank his nails into her as far as he could, trying to get a reaction out of her. She never realized how far his nails had sunk until now. Never realized how much he hurt her until now, and she had done the only thing she could think of in return. Shooting off round after round until her gun clicked, signaling the empty of her magazine. It didn't slow him down, she knew it wouldn't, but had to do it anyways. Had to show him how much he was hurting her, and even after he was gone, after all her bullets were spent, she stood there, sobbing silently until somehow managing to make it to her room.

* * *

A large branch complete with spiky needles fell to the floor, followed by a groan and a curse from the one whose hand held the clippers. _I'm butchering them_ Jet thought as he looked at his precious Bonsai trees, _Damn that Spike!_

His mind was reeling with thoughts that he didn't want to think about, but that wasn't going so well, the bonsai trees were proof of that. He had gone to the room with the hope tending to his trees would clear his mind. At the moment however, his thoughts alternated between cursing Spike and his recklessness and kicking himself for telling him to go in the first place. Faye had been right, and that thought alone was enough to make him clip off one of the primary branches of his most beautiful of work.

_Curse them all! _He absently ran his prosthetic hand over his balding head, closing his eyes and sighing. After a moment he reluctantly got up, abandoning his bonsai trees to the dark of the corridors. Roaming through the dark halls of his ship, he eventually found himself in the "living room".

After a quick check he wasn't surprised to see the room deserted. He felt a pang in his heart as he gazed at the empty ugly yellow couch, not really expecting Spike to be there, but feeling the regret nonetheless. The broad was also absent, he noted. Probably still in her room.

She'd locked herself in it earlier that night, soon after Spike had left, and he realized that this was going to be hard on her. Briefly he wondered just what the guy had meant to her, but then brushed the thought aside guiltily as he realized he was a friend, a comrade, and she had possibly just lost both.

The sliding of a door made him jump, and looking up he met the emerald green eyes of Faye. The anguish in her eyes was enough to make him gasp, but it was nothing compared to the pain in her voice. She turned her gaze from him to the yellow couch, and he could swear he could see her breaking right in front of him.

"I was hoping it was a dream…" She croaked her voice hoarse and shaky from the tears she had shed these past few hours, from the tears she was holding back now.

"Faye…" he whispered, and he had to rub his good arm along his fake one to keep from reaching out for her. He never could stand to see a woman cry, and Faye, despite the tough exterior, was a woman clearly on the brink of tears.

She wasn't having any of it though. Her eyes sharpened, suddenly focused as she sent a glare at Jet, as if something inside her had suddenly snapped back into place. And just like that she was Faye again, ready and willing to bitch at the first thing that moved. Jet took a step back, surprised by the sudden change in her, but at the same time relieved. At least he knew she wouldn't be held down by this, at least he knew it wouldn't fuck her up and he was grateful because any distraction in their line of business could end their life.

* * *

Hope you liked. Review please :)


	2. Shattered

Ok, I wasn't going to post this till christmas...but because I was bullied into typing up the next chapter-  
Mave: Oh stop being so damn dramatic! You weren't bullied, hell, she barely even threatened you-  
Me: -beats muse with sock- SHUT UP AND LET ME TALK!

Mave: -grumbles-

Me: ok, as I was saying...because I was bullied into typing up the third chapter and sending it to Mizuu, I decided that I'd be nice and uplaod the second chapter a little earlier. My I'm on a roll today, go me! Anyways, please enjoy!

* * *

She splashed through a puddle, the water spraying her thighs as she ran. Her speed was so fast she had to hold on to the wall of a building in order to turn. She cursed as her prey turned another corner, following him onto the sidewalk and into the crowd of pedestrians that were making there way through their daily lives.

"Jet he's getting away!" she screamed into the comm.

"What do you mean he's getting away!? I thought you had him Faye!" Came the gruff voice, raised in irritation. Faye had to check her instinct to make a retort, instead she settled on a rather annoyed sigh.

"Well obviously I don't, so are you gonna get off your ass and help me or what!?" She snarled back. A minute went by without a response. "Jet!" she yelled in irritation

"Damn it woman! Can't you last one minute without bitching and let me get organized!?" Jet yelled back. He heard Faye inhale angrily, but was relieved when she held her tongue. "Where are you?" He asked.

"North of Smith Road, we just turned right…Main Street! He just passed a restaurant called Little Mickey's" She huffed in mid-pursuit. Nodding to himself, Jet looked around. They were about three minutes from where he was. With a little bit of maneuvering and some luck their bounty could run right into him.

"Faye, do you think you can get him over to me?" He asked.

"Huh?" She asked, clearly confused and Jet mentally strangled the broad for her cluelessness. Instead he explained, "About three minutes from you there's a flower shop called Daisy's. Right next to it is an ally. Can you get him there?" He asked. Grinning to herself, Faye nodded. She understood; she'd herd the bounty towards the ally where Jet would be hiding. As soon as they ran by Jet would intercept them and catch their prey.

"Sure thing." And she cut off the comm. Picking up her speed she darted after the man. Zackary Cray: wanted for robbery and extortion, he was their biggest catch yet, and she _needed_ to catch him. She needed to feel like she was useful, that she could pull her own weight. It had been almost a week since that lunkhead went on his suicide mission and she needed to prove to herself that she didn't care that he hadn't come back yet.

She made like she was diving after him, causing him to turn left. _Perfect_ she thought _like lions on a gazelle._ She could see the flower shop now, just a bit further. With a sudden burst of energy she launched herself at him, herding him towards Jet. At the last minute, however, Cray turned, moving away from Jet. _Shit!_ She thought, and with a last ditch effort she hurled herself at him, Taking him in the shoulder and sending them both falling head over heals to the ground. He was just getting up when a large booted foot landed on his back. She looked up, breathing heavily, and met the eyes of Jet.

"Nice work, Faye" He said, smiling down at her.

* * *

They were on the ship again, the corridors dark and silent. There was no sing-song voice to greet them, no stupid mutt to trip over. For the first time since she'd been here, she realized how much she had grown accustomed to those things, how much she loved those things. Still, she felt a stab of warmth deep down, somewhere in the dark void she swore her heart was in. Jet had acknowledged her, had accepted her as an equal, and for now that was all she wanted, all she needed.

Now she sat cross-legged on the table, shuffling her deck of cards. Jet was in the kitchen cooking up whatever concoction he was calling food. Faye scowled. They hadn't had a decent meal in…well…actually they'd never had a decent meal….but to her annoyance, when they finally had some cash, Jet spends his half not on the food they need but on parts for the stupid heap of metal they were floating on. She sighed in irritation. Perhaps she should donate her share to groceries instead…

_'Then again, maybe not'_ She thought with a smirk, deciding it was much more fun to gamble it away. The scent of "food" cooking made her stomach growl, and she wondered how often she'd be running to the bathroom tonight. Still, she was no fool; she'd eat anything that was put on her plate despite its taste and lack of…edibleness.

'_Some things never change'_ she thought.

"Dinner's ready!" Jet called and she jumped off the table, placing the cards back in their box.

* * *

Jet sat alone in what they called the "living room". Faye had long since gone to bed, allowing him some time to think. Now he sat in the dark cursing his insomnia. He should have been in bed long ago, but instead he found himself reflecting on past events: Spike's suicide mission, the disappearance of the kid and the dog, and what irked him the most was the way Faye was acting through it all. She seemed to be accepting the fact that it was just her and Jet now, and he was amazed that she was actually pulling her weight. Their most recent catch played in his mind, and he smirked as he remembered the dive Faye took in order to catch him. _'She's a decent hunter when she's not_ _bitching'_ he thought fondly.

The sudden ring of his comm. cut through the air, startling him out of his thoughts. Taking it out of his pocket, he ran his hand over his head angrily, answering gruffly.

"What?"

"Jet? That you?" A man's voice, crackled with static, answered.

"Bob? Do you have any idea what time it is!?" Jet asked angrily. Bob didn't seem to notice. Or care.

"No and neither do you." He stated. Jet grumbled. "Listen, I've got some information." Jet quirked a brow, interest piqued.

"About a bounty? Since when do you convey information without being asked?" He asked. His friend ignored him.

"Not a bounty. It's about your partner." And Jet froze. Later he would recall dropping the comm. slamming his hand on the table, and wandering around the bebop, but as it was he found himself in the hangar, staring at the empty space between the Redtail and his Hammerhead, unleashing a waterfall of curses and insults aimed at no one in particular and every god he could think of.

* * *

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust" the sound of the priest closing the bible echoed through the cold air; a hollow sound on a grey day, reflecting the hearts of the two other individuals standing solemnly next to a tombstone. The priest; an old man with thinning hair, looked at the faces before him. He seemed to hesitate at first, then stepped forward towards the man.

"I'll leave you two alone" He said kindly, patting the man on the shoulder. He nodded, and the priest left them alone.

The two stood there, a light drizzle misting the air and wetting their skin. The man looked to the girl who stood there in her black dress, shivering visibly, but he doubted it was from the cold. Unconsciously he reached out for her, but she flinched away from his touch, staring at the headstone with dark, emotionless, dead eyes as if she weren't even seeing it. He stared at her for a long time; she seemed to be battling with herself for something to say. Instead she choked out a sob and took off. He followed her for a long time with sad eyes, until her figure faded into the mist. Then he turned his attention back to the headstone. He too seemed to be fighting for words, finally finding them in a gruff, sorrow-filled voice.

"Damn it Spike!" He croaked before he too turned on his heal and followed Faye into the mist.

* * *

-sniffles- Oh...that was so hard to write...now how many of you am I gonna have to run away from now? -looks around to see angry Spike fans foaming at the mouth with various raised weapons- eep...um...I'll be going now, read and review! -hurriedly runs away- 


	3. Just Another Walk In The Park

* * *

A/N: Holy Hell and flying pigs it's been a friggin long time hasn't it? Well I usually don't upload a chapter until I have the next one at least written up, but I figured, well…I've been cruel enough to the few people who are actually reviewing (many oodles of thanks to you guys! It truly does make my world go round).

So, I have a present for you. For all of you Americans consider it a belated 4th of July present…to anyone not from the States, well, please enjoy it anyways! Oh, and because the last few chapters were a bit…erm…well depressing, here's a little lighter one. Hope you like and as always review (seriously, feel free to bug me; it actually helps with the updating).

* * *

Ed was bored. Day after day she chased her father as he chased meteor after meteor, desperate not to be forgotten again. She was happy, of course she was, but she was very, _very_ bored. Things were never quite _this_ boring on the Bebop! She sighed and let herself flop backward, only to land on Ein, who let out a protesting squeak, but settled back down. Ein was bored too.

"Ed misses Bebop-Bebop" She whined, lower lip jutting out with the beginnings of a pout. The sun was setting, leaving an orange glow around the broken terrain. Ein sighed beneath her, emphasizing his own feelings.

"For the last time, it's MACINTIRE!" came the loud, angry voice shattering the silence around them. Ed sat up, eyes widened slightly in curiosity. Macintire was flailing his arms like a bird trying to fly after running into a building. Applederry, however, was unfazed. In fact, he seemed completely oblivious to the whole ordeal with his back turned as he heaved a piece of equipment on the trailer. Turning back to face the younger man, he seemed to have noticed him for the first time.

"Oh, did you want something Macadee?" He asked. Macintire turned quite a few shades of red, and Ed could see the pressure building, like a can of soda that was shaken.

"Uh-oh" she stated in her usual, childlike sing-song voice. Ein whined an agreement just as the pressure reached critical.

"GAAAAAH!" Macintire screamed, his outburst exemplified by the impact of a meteor. Ed was tossed unceremoniously into the air, landing not-so-gracefully onto the hard ground beneath her. The dust cleared, revealing a very upside-down Ed, who looked rather like a pole sticking straight out of the ground than a girl who had landed on her head.

Ein trotted over to her, whined and gave her a quick but exaggerated sniff. With a groan, Ed bent backwards (in such a way that she seemed to be boneless) and sat on the ground, slumped over her knees like a hunchback, her Tomato at her feet. There she watched with mild amusement as her father scurried across the landscape, dragging a very defeated looking Macintire behind him.

Their fights were always one-sided; Applederry usually too oblivious to the fact Macintire was even raising his voice-or there for that matter- and nothing like those she'd witnessed between Spike and Faye.

With a pang in her heart, Ed sighed; left alone again. Yet, with the fading of the last light she had made up her mind. Glancing once at Ein- who, seemingly reading her mind, yipped his agreement- she half somersaulted, half rolled down the rocky terrain in the direction of the setting sun, Tomato hugged securely between her knees and chest.

* * *

Applederry dashed across the broken ground, dragging Macintire or whatever his name was behind him as he clamored up the hill and into the truck they used to move along Earth's surface. Excitedly fishing for his keys, he turned it on and they were off at once, driving towards the puff of dust that hid the precious meteor. Ecstatic and utterly immersed was he that he neglected to see the shock of red hair go flying into the air and land a good few feet away. Instead he drove on, oblivious as always to the world around him.

'I feel like I'm forgetting something' he thought, then pushed the voice to the back of his mind as they drew nearer to the crash site.

* * *

"Roly-poly, roly-poly, crash, bang BOOM!" Ed sang, almost lazily, as the night wore on and she and Ein walked aimlessly on. They had been walking for hours, and now it was nearly dawn. Ed led them onward to where, only she knew. Ein whimpered softly, indicating he was tired. Ed glanced down, but instead of stopping as Ein had hoped, she grinned big and wide and looked ahead.

"Almost there!" she called and she ran with arms spread wide like an airplane into the distance, Ein yipping at her feet. A good half hour later, with the first rays of the sun peaking over the horizon, they arrived at one of the very few docking bays of Earth.

"We…have arrived." Ed stated in a mock English accent, bowing. Ein took the chance to sit down and rest before Edward's energy sparked and she took off again. Instead, however, she plopped down, fixed her goggles atop her face, and started typing furiously at Tomato. Curious, Ein glanced over her shoulder and stared at the screen. When he saw what it was that she was doing he yipped in approval, his whole body shaking with excitement (his replacement for a wagging tail). After a few moments of clicking keys, Edward grinned, closed Tomato, placed it atop her head, and hopped down the hill, Ein at her heals.

Ships zoomed in and out of the ship yard, dropping off and picking up various goods and supplies. Ed and Ein wandered around the ship yard, hiding here and there so as not to be seen until finally stopping to hide behind a crate. An old looking commercial liner had just moved passed them, docking near the building that appeared to be a restaurant. As soon as it had stopped in the hangar, a young blond woman came out of the building, a blue apron tied around her waist and a scowl pasted on her otherwise pretty face.

The door to the liner opened, revealing a disgruntled young man with messy sandy blond hair. He smiled at the girl as he jumped to the ground, but upon seeing the death glare she was currently throwing him, his smile wavered.

"Hey Cindy," His voice wavered with his sudden nervousness.

"Don't you 'hey Cindy' me, Ryan O'Donnell!" she replied, her voice low and quivering with barely contained anger. This caused the young man known as Ryan to gulp and take a step back. Ed and Ein peaked around the corner of the crate, drawn by the angry voices, and watched the scene taking place before them.

"'A week' you say, 'I'll be back in a week' well let me tell you something O'Donnell: IT'S BEEN A GOD DAMNED MONTH!!" Another stumble and she had him pinned, squirming, against the side of the ship. All he could do was gulp before she lashed into him again.

"No calls, no messages saying where you are, no word at all- and no one has any idea of where you could be! A month of worrying and wondering! A month of hoping pirates hadn't gotten you! A month of rumors that there are other girls!" The fury in her eyes burned through his soul, and his voice was almost a squeak when he finally found the courage to speak.

"Aw come on Baby, you know you're the only girl for me!" He smiled weakly and reached out for her. The wrong thing to do. The slap echoed through the hangers and snapped his face to the side.

"'Only girl for you' Yet you don't have the decency TO CALL!" He winced, the red handprint on his cheek burning brightly in the gloominess around them. She turned around with an overly dramatic sniff, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.

"My mother was right about you! You don't love me. You never have!" and she wailed into the white lace, a showy display of tears and loud, dramatic sniffles. Ed blinked, Ein snorted in disgust, and Ryan seemed to melt with regret, forehead furrowed in sorrow as he reached for her again.

"Aw Cin, you know that's not true!" She jerked away from him, sobbing even harder.

"No you don't, you hate me!"

"No, come on baby, you know I love you! I'm sorry it took so long! Come on, Cin! Look at me!" He pleaded, succeeding in keeping her in his arms and now trying to lift her face up so he could see into her eyes. She sniffled again, but complied.

"Really?" She asked, her voice light and watery. He nodded, kissing her softly on the forehead.

"Good! Then call next time! Now come on, let's get you something to eat." She said happily, dragging Ryan- dazed by her sudden change of mood- by the arm into the building.

"Nya!" Ed chirped from behind the crate. Ein sneezed in agreement and they both crawled out from their hiding place. Noticing a gap between the back door and the floor of the ship, Edward trotted over to investigate. Sure enough, the space was just big enough for a small person (and a corgi sized dog) to squeeze through. It was held open by a piece of metal cargo, and after a moment's hesitation, Edward climbed in; sliding almost seal-like into the darkness before her.

Peeking her head out (in order to help a struggling Ein jump onto the ship) she looked around once more.

"Scary, scary, oo-la-la" She sang before disappearing back into the gloom.

* * *

For nearly an hour, Edward sat hunched over Tomato, clicking away at the keys. Ein sat beside her, ears twitching with each press of Edward's fingers as she scanned the cyber world. Seconds passed with just as many windows popping up and disappearing. Suddenly something caught his attention and lifting his head he peered at the screen to see the window Ed was currently scanning. With a soft whine he nudged his companion.

"Huh? What is it Ein?" Ed asked. Ein nudged her again and Ed glanced back at the screen with critical eyes.

"Ah, you think?" Ein yipped and Ed brought up the screen, calling forth more information. Nodding to Ein she agreed.

"To Mars!" She declared just as the door to the ship opened and shut. Ryan, it seemed, had returned, whistling and humming to himself as he stroked a picture of a young blond woman hanging in his window. Ed shut her computer and rolled into a corner, hiding amongst the shadows and watching curiously through the small window that separated the cargo hold from the cockpit.

The engine started and in a moment they were in the air, Ed and Ein thrown against many numerous things as the ship hit turbulence while exiting the atmosphere. As soon as the ship was safely in space, Ryan started whistling again. Curious (and just a little bored) Ed began to creep up to the window. Slightly ajar, Edward was able to slide it open and stick her head into the cockpit. Ryan didn't seem to notice, as he continued to sing to himself, his eyes staring out into the dark abyss before them. Hesitating a moment to rub his cheek he glanced at his picture of Cindy.

"Damn, girl's got a hard hand." He muttered to himself.

"Ry-Ry was bad- bad." Came a small sing-song voice. Ryan jumped, turned his head to see flaming red hair and a childlike face, screamed and slammed on the breaks, sending a wide eyed and grinning Edward into the front window.

"Who the- What the- How the hell did you get on here!?" Ryan stammered as he watched, pale faced and gaping, as the red-head slid down his window. Snapping back up and flipping backwards until she was in the seat next to him, Edward grinned back at him.

"Ed is Ed" She stated matter-of- factly, and she was joined by a panting Welsh corgi pup who stared up at him and yipped. Ryan stared speechless at the two bodies before him, his mouth opening and shutting as he tried to form the words his mind was trying so hard to grasp. Instead, Ed and Ein watched as his eyes rolled back in his head and he fainted before them.

* * *

Oh that Edward! She's so much fun to write:) Anyways, that's it for chapter 3! I hope you liked! Please review, and criticism is always appreciated!


End file.
